Midi-lathes

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Midi-lathes
This new breed of small lathe
offers several features
found in bigger machines
at a more affordable price
B Y
A N D Y
B A R N U M
A
lathe can make most good shops even better. A woodworker can add considerable appeal to a furniture piece
(depending on the style) by including turned parts, such
as legs, knobs, spindles and pedestals. Other turned items, such as
bowls, plates and boxes, stand fully on their own merits.
Many woodworking shops, however, don't have a lathe-most
likely because of cost or space. Lathes require cash, something
many of us don't have in surplus. And lathes take up a lot of space,
something most shops have little of, if any, to spare.
But the arrival of a new category of small lathes has made cost
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FINE WOODWORKING
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Photos, except where noted: Michael Pekovich
Telephone: (800) 438-2486
Street price: $300 ($50 for bed
extension)
Weight: 65 Ibs.
Motor: % hp, 6.6 amps
Swing: 10 in.
Distance between centers:
1 4 % in. (37 in. with extension)
Speed settings (rpm): 500, 800,
1,250,1,800, 2,650, 3 , 7 0 0
Headstock spindle: I-in. by 8-tpi
threads, #2 Morse taper
Tailstock spindle: # 2 Morse taper,
1 % in. travel
Faceplate included: Yes
Outboard turning option: No
and space less of an issue. Introduced in the late 1990s, these machines-often called midi-lathes-are generally bigger and beefier
than the so-called minilathes, yet they're smaller than full-sized
machines. Midis are affordable-selling for between $285 and
$350-and take up very little space. Plus, when not in use, most
can be picked up and stored out of the way, although a couple of
the heavier models might best be moved by someone who spends
regular hours at a gym.
Midi-lathes have other features that appeal to me. Unlike minilathes, the midis include some qualities normally found only on
bigger machines, such as %-hp motors and spindles with l-in. by 8-tpi
threads and #2 Morse tapers. Also,
when used with an optional bed extension, a midi can turn long spindles between centers.
For someone unsure whether
wood turning is going to be worthwhile, a midi-lathe just might be the
best way to test the waters. Not only
are the midis relatively inexpensive,
but they also have enough power to
do some serious work. And as your
turning skills grow, you can grow the
lathe by adding a bed extension.
So midi-lathes have a lot going for
them. But how well do they work?
Students give the test
I teach wood turning at the School of
Art and Design at Purchase College
in New York. The shop has 10 fullsized lathes. But the class, part of a
furniture:design program, often at-
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Photo, this page (top): Tom Begnal
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tracts as many as 15 students. With an obvious need for more lathes, I arranged to borrow the five midi-lathes currently on the market-the Delta 46-250, the Fisch TC 90-100, the General 25-100 M1,
the Jet JML-1014 and the Nova Mercury-to find out how well they
could hold up to the wear and tear of regular use. By the way, the
Nova Mercury is marketed as a minilathe, even though it has a
M-hp motor, 1-in. spindles, #2 Morse tapers and an expandable
bed, all features found on the other midis. So I felt comfortable including it in the midi-lathe group.
To find out how the midis would hold up under daily use, each
any speed change on the Delta, Fisch,
General or Jet, the belt (left) is repositioned on stepped pulleys. Changing
speeds on the Nova (right) is mostly just
a matter of turning a dial.
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S E P T E M B E R L O C T O B E R 2002
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At 8 1 Ibs., the Fisch weighs slightly more than the average midi-lathe
weight of 74 Ibs. It has the lowest price of the bunch. And, at 15 in., it
ties for the most distance between centers without a bed extension. The
on/off switch is conveniently located in the headstock.
one was put to work in my once-a-week, all-day class for an entire
semester. As the semester progressed, the student testers provided
plenty of candid feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of
each,machine. Here’s what we found.
Power isn’t a problem
Anyone taking a quick look at these small lathes might be tempted to dismiss them as less-than-serious machines. So right off the
bat we wanted to know if they have enough power. And within a
few weeks, after turning an assortment of bowls, plates and spin’ dles, the students concluded that they do. The %-hpmotors, a size
that’s often standard on larger (12-in.) lathes, provided all the muscle we needed.
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the belt setting was rarely changed, speeds were varied simply by
turning a dial.
The Delta, Fisch, General and Jet have six speeds each (see the
charts for more specs). To change speeds, the motor must first be
raised and then a V-belt shifted to the appropriate position on a
step pulley. While the procedure isn’t a major headache, it falls
short of the simpler Nova system. Also, the small belts on all of
these lathes made belt tensioning a bit fussy. If it’s too loose, the
belt could slip; if it’s too tight, the belt could strain the bearings.
Cast-iron parts make a beefier machine
A lathe should feel solid and steady during the turning process. Excessive vibration or movement can interfere with tool control and,
Dial-a-speed is simpler
Lathes are designed to run at several
speeds to accommodate different sized
workpieces. Large, heavy workpieces
require a slow speed, while small, light
parts can be spun considerably faster.
So it’s helpful to be able to change
speeds without a lot of annoyance.
The Nova stands out from the others
in this regard. Thanks to a d.c. motor, a
three-step pulley and variable-speed
control, the Nova has an overall speed
range of 140 rpm to 5,350 rpm. Depending on the pulley location, the
lathe can be set to slow (140 rpm to
1,750 rpmj, medium (320 rpm to 3,670
rpm) or fast (470 rpm to 5,350 rpm).
The medium speed range took care of
almost all of our needs. And because
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A plywood base
adds support, To
make sure these
machines don’t
move around while
in use, it’s a good
idea to bolt the feet
to a piece of plywood, then clamp
the plywood to the
bench. The only
lathe not eager to
wander was the General. Its large.
- . soft
rubber feet helped
keep it in place.
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FINE WOODWORKING
Photos, this page (top) and facing page (bottom): Tom Begnal
when in use. Four large, soft rubber feet kept the General lathe
from wandering. To keep the others solidly in place, it's a good
idea to bolt them to a plywood base and then clamp the plywood
to a sturdy workbench.
Headstocks have sturdy spindles
The 1-in. headstock spindle really separates these lathes from the
previous generation of minilathes. Those earlier lathes used %-in.dia. spindles, making them more likely to flex and vibrate.
Each of the five lathes has a headstock spindle with 1-in. by 8-tpi
threads and a #2 Morse taper. And all accept a faceplate. The Nova
allows outboard turning
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when used with an optional
outrigger unit.
Two lathes, the Delta and
the Jet, come with a handwheel at the outboard end of
the spindle. This useful feature makes it easy to check
tool-rest clearance and to examine work in progress.
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Faceplates welcomed. A steel faceplate is supplied as a standard
item on all of the midi-lathes reviewed.
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ultimately, the quality of the wood surface. While the midi-lathes
aren't as rock-solid as most full-sized lathes, they are hardly rickety, mainly because the beds, headstocks'and tailstocks are made
from cast iron, a material favored for its vibration-dampening
property. Also, on each of the lathes we looked at, the way on the
bed-which allows both the tailstock and tool rest to slide-was
ground smoothly.
We did notice, though,.that because midis are relatively light in
weight, all but the General moved around on the benchtop a bit
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Tailstocks
offer live centers
Except for the Nova, all of the
midi-lathes have a tailstock
spindle with a live cup center
and a #2 Morse taper. The
Nova uses a live single-point
center along with the #2
Better a n d best. Onry Lrle Nova uses a live single-point center (right) in
the tailstock; the other midis use a
live cup center (left). The students
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Morse taper.
All proved to be an improvement over the dead cup center of
old, but for most work we preferred a live cup center over a live
single-point center because the live cup center engages the wood
By far, the General is the heaviest of the midis, weighing in at
106 Ibs. A t 15 in., i t ties the Fisch for the most distance between
centers, sans a bed extension. Add the long bed extension, and i t
provides 45 in. between centers, more than any of the other
midis reviewed.
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This midi weighs in a t just 59 Ibs., a number that back muscles will
appreciate. With the bed extension added, the Jet has 40 in. between
centers, one of the longest. A t a price of $350, i t is the most expensil
lathe in this group.
more solidly.A live single-point center can wear away at the wood
and eventually loosen.
The tailstock on each of these lathes uses either a cam lock or a
quick lock, providing the convenience of one-handed moving and
locking. To lock the tailstock in place you simply give the handle
a quarter turn. These locks worked just fine and proved to be a
nice plus.
On the Delta, Fisch and Jet, a handwheel is turned to adjust the
tailstock spindle in or out. The Nova incorporates a knurled knob
that made the task less convenient.
The Delta, Fisch, General and Jet have self-ejecting systems for
the Morse taper center, a feature we liked because it was quick and
easy to use and didn’t require an extra tool. You simply retract the
spindle, and the center pops loose. The Nova gets the job done
with a long, cylindrical piece of steel called a
knockout bar. You slip the bar into the hollow
spindle, then the bar is used to tap the Morse taper
and free it up.
A longer tool rest would be a nice upgrade
Short tool rests
lack support. A
6-in.-long tool
rest, the standard
for all of the machines, wasn’t favored by the students. Longer
tool rests are
available aftermarket.
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All of these midi-lathes have relatively short (6-in.)
tool rests, which drew many complaints from the
students. They wanted a longer tool rest that
wouldn’t have to be repositioned as frequently
when turning a long piece.
A longer tool rest (12 in.) is available from Fisch
as an option. We tried it, and it quickly proved to
be a hit. It also worked on all of the other midis,
but to fit the Nova we had to sand down the shaft
diameter a bit. By the way, Fisch also offers an optional curved bowl-turning rest.
The best full-sized lathes feature a cam lock to
secure the base of the tool rest. A cam lock allows
for easy one-handed adjustments of the tool rest.
The midis all had a sturdy scaled-down version of
the cam lock that worked just fine.
Choosing a favorite was a challenge
By the end of the semester, all five of these midilathes had accumulated a good many hours of run
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Photos, this page (top) and facing page (top): Tom Begnal
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Although it’s the lightest and most compact of all the midis, the Nova is
limited t o 8 in. between centers without a bed extension, 20 in. with
one. Variable-speed control makes i t quick and easy to change speed S.
It’s the only one that allows outboard turning.
time. Yet all of them were still going strong.And along the way, the
students were able to create dozens of remarkable turnings.
That said, when forced to pick a favorite, we ended up giving a
slight nod to the Nova. It’s the lightest and most compact of the
bunch, so it’s easier to carry and store. Those are important features in our shop.
Also, on the Nova, we like the simplicity of the variable-speed
dial. It pretty much eliminates the need to fuss with belts when
changing speeds. That’s a nice plus.
On the downside, though, the Nova has the shortest distance between centers. Adding the bed extension increases the distance
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between centers, but when compared to others with added bed
extensions,the Nova still comes up short in the length department.
Everything considered, though, we were more than pleased with
the performance of all these lathes. Indeed, the machines did
everything we asked of them from the first day of class to the last.
Anyone looking to get started in wood turning, but with a limited
budget or minimal shop space, ought to consider taking a closer
look at these little lathes.
In addition to teaching wood turning at Purchase College and Brookfield
Craft Center, Andy Barnurn builds furniture at his shop in Carmel, N.Y.
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